The Masks We Wear
by The Moon's Berserk
Summary: We all wear many masks. In passing, no one would suspect a thing.
1. Axel

**Chapter 1: Axel**

A tall thin redhead sat in a tree at a park near where he lived.

Today marked the last of his summer vacation, now staying away from the house would be nearly impossible.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Ever since his mom left them, he hadn't wanted to go back into the house. He felt panicked and restricted whenever he did. His dad was overly sensitive now, not to mention his brother's newly developed issues.

Oh how fucked up his life became.

Boys Pop The Bottles by Dot Dot Curve started to play and the boy retrieved his phone from his pocket.

"Yeah, Reno?"

"Dad wants you home before it gets dark, school night and all." Reno said to him. There was a pause and Reno sighed. "You'll have to get over this eventually Axel."

Axel frowned in frustration.

"Yeah, you're one to talk. By the way, you look so thin lately. How much do you weigh, Reno? Two pounds?" he snapped.

"Goodbye Axel." was all that was said before the line was disconnected.

Axel sighed again and started to slowly climb down from the tree he was in.

He headed home slowly, making sure to look at everything in order to waste time. The setting sun was long gone once he reached his home that was just a few streets away. His heart thumped harder with every step.

Once he reached the house, he was hyperventilating, sweating, and he thought his heart would beat itself out of his chest.

He looked up at the house feeling tears well up in his eyes.

He was going to have to get over this.


	2. Cloud

**Chapter 2: Cloud**

"Anything you need for you first day dear?" a brown haired woman asked her blonde haired son.

The boy simply shook his head, not moving from his position of laying across his bed.

"Cloud, are you ever going to talk to me?" she asked, voice cracking.

Cloud sighed, he had once again succeeded in making her cry. He deserved to be enrolled into a school for fucked up people.

"I wish I knew what the problem was, is it just me?" she asked. "I know I'm not your real mother but…"

The blonde shook his head vigorously, hoping to calm her down a little. He wanted to speak to her, tell her it's nothing she had done wrong. He opened his mouth but no sound would come.

The woman dried her eyes with her hand and turned to leave the room, hearing a shift behind her. She barely turned back before Cloud's arms wrapped around her in a reassuring hug.

His step-mother forced a smile as he let go.

"Don't stay up too late, school in the morning." she smiled, leaving and closing the door behind her.

Cloud crossed the room and layed back down on his bed. He listened for her steps to descend downstairs.

"Sure thing Aerith. By the way, you may not be mom, but you're a close enough exception. " he said aloud in a quiet voice.

He turned off his lamp and curled up on his side, facing a picture from when he was ten.

Him, his dad, and his mom stood on the beach smiling happily. He smiled back at the picture.

"Goodnight dad, Aerith… mom." he said in a near whisper.

A tear slid down his cheek as he shut his eyes.

If only he knew why he couldn't talk around people.


	3. Demyx

**Chapter 3: Demyx**

Demyx flipped through a magazine while on the couch under a fleece Spongebob Squarepants blanket.

A dirty blonde woman rushed down the stairs as Demyx quickly shut the magazine and started coughing.

"Mom, I think I'm coming down with something." he whined, drawing the blanket closer around him.

His mother walked over and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Hmm, you don't feel warm. You should be fine Demyx. You're just nervous about your new school." she said, grabbing her coat from near the door.

Demyx's eyes widened.

"You're leaving?" he asked in a hoarse voice, letting his mind take control as he had trained it to do.

"Yes, Jenni asked me to cover for her shift. You'll be fine with your sister right?" she asked, getting her keys.

"She can't take care of me mom!" he practically squealed before having a coughing fit.

His mother sighed, a look of worry crossing her features.

"Look, I promised her I'd do this. I'll have Lar keep an eye on you and she'll call if it gets too bad okay?"

Defeated, Demyx nodded looking to the floor.

"Good," she said, kissing him on the forehead, "I'll go get your sister."

Demyx pouted, sneezing and coughing occasionally until she left.

Larxene waved goodbye to their mother and made sure the door was locked before turning to her brother with a scowl.

"I know you're faking. God, you're pathetic." she snapped. "I'm going out. You can take care of yourself."

She stormed upstairs, returning in a short, skin tight dress and heels and walked out the door, briefly glancing at Demyx with a look of disgust.

Now, the dirty blonde was alone.

His head started pounding and the room swayed. He ran to the nearest trash can and wretched until he felt faint.

He sunk to the ground feeling like he was in a sauna.

This time, he may have truly gotten himself sick.


	4. Reno

**Chapter 4: Reno**

"Reno, you need to eat. Seriously. You weigh like, two pounds."

Reno growled. His father kept insisting on begging him to eat. He'd eat when he was ready. There was no need. What was food but a catalyst to obesity?

"Later dad." he said with a wave of his hand.

"You say that all the time kid." his dad pressed.

"For the love of… do you want me to go shove a whole Pizza Hut down my throat?" he yelled then nearly gagged at the thought of pizza. "I said later." he stated calmly, picking up the remote to the TV.

His father sighed and left the room without another word.

Reno sighed as well thinking about what Axel had said.

_"By the way, you look so thin lately. How much do you weigh, Reno? Two pounds?" _

The redhead looked down at his thin body, slightly hidden due to an oversized shirt and too large pants.

He got up and went into the kitchen where his father was, sitting at the table without a word. His dad looked at him as he just stared at the table.

They both heard the door open and shut, but Reno didn't bother to look up, unlike his father.

"Ah, Axel. There you are. I was afraid you'd miss dinner." the boys' dad as Axel when to sit down. He turned to look worriedly at his sons who were both staring at the kitchen table intently. Axel's eyes were red and swollen as if he had been crying. Reno looked just plain depressed.

The man sat a container in the middle of the table, along with a tray of breadsticks, trying his best to remain lively.

"I made spaghetti. Decided to cook today." He smiled but was met with silence.

Reno finally glanced up to see Axel looking at him then glanced to their father before starting to pile spaghetti on his plate.

A small smile found its way to the older man as he too began to put food in front of him.

Reno looked back and forth between them, hearing the familiar voices in his head.

"_You'll get fat. It's disgusting. You're disgusting. Don't even think about it. What will people think tomorrow? Eat tonight, and you'll look horrible all week. You don't look at that great now."_

The voices were continuous. Not even his own. Quite frankly, it drove him insane.

His father and brother's eyes snapped to him, considering he jumped up, knocking his chair down in the process.

"I'm sorry. I can't. I just can't" he mumbled running out of the room. Out of the house.

He couldn't face them. He was just a coward.

And he couldn't force himself to eat, not right now. He wanted to give a good first impression at least. No food.

No matter how much his stomach protested.


End file.
